MARION COUNTY — A 51-year-old Irvington man pleaded guilty today in Marion County Court to Class 3 felony aggravated battery in exchange for a lesser charge of a hate crime being dismissed.

Dwayne Ramey
(Source: MCSO)

Dwayne Ramey was sentenced to two-year probation, and fined $500. Ramey was ordered to have no contact with the victim, complete drug and alcohol treatment and evaluation, and abstain with testing.

Per the plea agreement, Ramey admitted to striking Dexter Johnson in the face with a beer glass while at the Poplar Place in Centralia in November 2014.

A review of the case later showed Ramey had called Johnson by a racial slur just before striking him, which resulted in the Class 4 felony hate crime charge being added.

But the hate crime charge was dismissed today in exchange for Ramey’s guilty plea to the initial battery charge.

Felony charges of aggravated driving under the influence filed against Ramey a few months before the fight at the Poplar Place were also recently dismissed, along with the related DUI charges, and traffic citations.

Those dismissals reportedly came after questions arose regarding the legality of the initial arrest.